YEIDA disqualifies 52 non-local claimants posing as farmers for Yamuna City residential plots

What YEIDA decided

YEIDA's scrutiny covered 88 claims filed for relocation plots in Phase I, which spans 30 villages. After document checks, only 13 applicants were treated as eligible, and the other 75 claims were rejected. The authority's position, as reported, is that the plot category is meant for farmers whose land was taken for development, not for buyers who acquired farmland in order to qualify.

The rejections fall into two groups. In 52 cases, the applicants were not local residents of the area. In a further 23 cases, officials found either no structure on the land or construction carried out after land acquisition notifications had been issued. Those 23 claims were treated as invalid for the reservation.

How the review was carried out

The authority compared the residency records submitted by each claimant against archival satellite images dating from 2010 to 2012. Reports say some claimants had put up temporary structures on newly bought parcels so the land would look like a long-standing home. Older imagery was used to test those claims because it shows what was on the ground before the recent purchases.

• Residency records were matched against historical imagery.
• Claims were checked for structures that predated land acquisition notices.
• Eligibility was decided on documents, statutory rules and the physical status of the land.

Practical effect for buyers and farmers

YEIDA's chief executive, Rakesh Kumar Singh, said that people who acquire land purely for speculative investment will not qualify for the rehabilitation benefits created for farmers. For buyers who bought farmland recently, this means the reservation cannot be used as a route to a residential plot. For genuine landowners whose acquired land was taken for projects, the review confirms that proof of residence and the land's history will decide the outcome.

The decision applies to claims in the farmer category. It does not by itself change the wider allotment schemes that the authority runs for the general public.

Regional context: Yamuna City and YEIDA

Yamuna City, also called New Yamuna City or YEIDA New City, is part of the planned region along the 165-kilometre Yamuna Expressway from Greater Noida towards Agra. YEIDA was set up by the Uttar Pradesh government in 2001 to plan and develop that corridor. A 2022 report said the authority's master plan was built around the Noida International Airport at Jewar and projected a population of about 41.7 lakh by 2041, with homes, commercial space and industrial land needed to serve that growth.

Residential plot allotments in the region have a long and contested history. Land acquisition for early schemes led to disputes with farmers, and the process of handing over plots has been slow in several sectors. The farmer-quota rules, which this decision applies, are part of that history of compensation and rehabilitation for acquired land.

Related: Suraksha Group compensation dues

In the same reporting, YEIDA said it has approached the National Company Law Tribunal over roughly ₹1,000 crore of enhanced farmer compensation that it says is still payable by Suraksha Group. Of the total ₹1,334 crore enhanced compensation, which reflects a 64.7% increase, Suraksha Group has paid ₹334 crore so far. The compensation dates back to 2013, when YEIDA promised higher payments for land acquired for development, and the amount was later built into Suraksha Group's resolution plan for Jaypee Infratech.

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal upheld that resolution plan on 24 May 2024, directing payment of the compensation within four years. The authority's approach to the tribunal is aimed at speeding up those payments to farmers.